Caffeine Priority: Fuji X-Pro2 real world gallery images
posted Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 6:47 AM EST
Wake up with IR! Here's today's cup of Caffeine Priority...
Some four years in the making, the Fujifilm X-Pro2 offers a fresh blast of firepower for fans of this popular line. With a brand new 24mp X-trans sensor and an all-new processor, the successor to the Fuji X-Pro1 promises serious quality and performance to accompany its oh-so-retro exterior design.
We just got word that our sample unit will be heading to NYC and into the capable and experienced hands of Eamon Hickey, one of our most seasoned reviewers, so anyone interested in this camera will want to stay tuned for more to come from Eamon. In the meantime, I was able to sneak the X-Pro2 out of our lab nights and weekends after its rigorous rounds of lab testing in order to bring you an initial gallery sampling to tide you over to our forthcoming Field Test.
For its first liberation from the lab I took the X-Pro2 out one evening to shoot a Division 1 NCAA men's basketball game paired with the Fujinon XF16-55mm f/2.8 WR lens, so we'll begin this initial gallery sampling there. This will also provide a real world look at the X-Pro2's ISO as it rises to accommodate the needed shutter speeds for capturing the action.
(Images have been resized to fit this page, cropped and/or slightly adjusted in post, primarily to balance shadows and highlights. Clicking any image will take you to access to the full resolution image as delivered straight from the X-Pro2, as well as associated EXIF data.)
Fuji X-Pro2 + XF16-55mm f/2.8
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
I'm looking forward to seeing the performance test results from the X-Pro2, and getting the take of our full reviewer as well. My initial impression of S-AF was that it was lightning-fast, but I struggled somewhat with zone AF at the game. As it was my first day with the camera this could simply reflect my need to get up to speed with the changes in this model, so again will look forward to the more in-depth analysis our team provides going forward.
Moving now to the great outdoors, I've paired the X-Pro2 with one of my favorite wildlife zoom lenses we've ever tested, the XF50-140mm f/2.8. This lens was awarded a Lens of Distinction from IR in 2015, and its weather resistance matches stride with the X-Pro2 in that arena.
Fuji X-Pro2 + XF50-140mm f/2.8
[F2/Fujichrome/Velvia film simulation]
[F1b/Studio Portrait/Astia film simulation]
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
[F2/Fujichrome/Velvia film simulation]
[Classic Chrome film simulation]
[F2/Fujichrome/Velvia film simulation]
The menu systems have undergone a substantial overhaul, and that did take a bit of an initial learning curve. I didn't get enough time with the camera to be able to say conclusively that it's all for the better, but the separation of IQ/AF/basic functions into individual menu tabs does seem like a user-friendly move. There are three auto-ISO settings, allowing you to set your preferred default ISO, the maximum ISO you want it to go, and a minimum shutter speed. Having three is handy for things like basketball, where I prefer a different configuration for the game action as opposed to shots of players or coaches standing.
I'll conclude this initial X-Pro2 gallery post with another of our favorite Fujinon zoom lenses, the ultra-wide XF10-24mm f/4. We've found this to be not only a very capable lens, but also quite an enjoyable one to shoot with. There are more images with each of these lenses in our X-Pro2 Gallery, and stay tuned for our upcoming X-Pro2 Field Test!
Fuji X-Pro2 + XF10-24mm f/4
[F2/Fujichrome/Velvia film simulation]
(Thanks to the Georgia State Athletic Program for allowing us to photograph their games!)
Fuji X-Pro2 Overview • Fuji X-Pro2 Gallery
Fuji X-Pro1 vs Fuji X-Pro2
[Need a refill? ...Let us pour you one!]
Caffeine Priority is a new series of short photo-tidbits to ease you into your day, and give us a chance to share a bit more of what life’s like here at IR. We're more like a group of friends testing and talking about cameras and lenses than the buttoned-down, big-corporation world that some of our photo-friends at other companies work in; hopefully these little snippets will share some of that. So... grab another coffee and join in the conversation with us down below!
